Message from the Vocation Director

“Become who you are.” This was one of Pope St. John Paul II’s frequent exhortations to young people. Perhaps we think, “How could I be anyone else?” The reality is that sometimes we are not living the life to which Jesus has called us and the exhortation of Pope St. John Paul II is really the invitation of God—to become the person whom God has created us to be.

God has a plan for each one of us and that plan is known to God even before we are born. We hear the word of the Lord revealed to the prophet Jeremiah, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I dedicated you, a prophet to the nations I appointed you.” (Jer 1:5). God appointed Jeremiah to be a prophet and God appoints and calls men to serve Him as His priests. Are you one of the men whom God is appointing and calling to be a priest of Jesus Christ? Will you respond to God’s appointment to be a priest and become who you are?

The way to know if you are being called to the priesthood is through prayer. Develop a deep personal relationship with the Lord and allow Him to reveal His will to you. Stay close to Him through frequent reception of the sacraments. Explore this site and then talk to a priest about his vocation and the call that you feel. I am always happy to have a conversation with men to discuss the priesthood and their discernment.

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I dedicated you…” God has formed us for a purpose. We ‘become who we are’ when we are doing His will and living out that purpose to which He has dedicated us. Say “yes” to a vocation to the priesthood and allow God to form you into the person He created you to be.